TRIBUTE!!!!! Hands down the best competition. Owner is FANTASTIC, cares about more than the almighty dollar. His staff is polite and friendly. Competitions ALWAYS run on time (if not early) and he never starts before 4 pm on a Friday. The time he takes to pay tribute to parents, teachers, and dancers is worth the entry fees!!!!! Cannot say enough about Tribute!!!

I think my two favorites so far have been Showstopper and Revolution. The competition is always tough at these two in our area! The competitions themselves are usually well run and a good experience as well! A studio favorite so far has been Star Talent, but DD wasn't a huge fan. She had a sorta traumatizing experience so I think that's why. I hated the venue the most!

Competition only, I would say VIP. Organized, well run, judges who know more than contemporary/lyrical, on time or early, great online presence, draws talent to regionals, awards don't take forever, judging is fair. Are they perfect, no but they do a lot right.

Originally Posted by momcrewOn Pointe. Super friendly, good judging and always solid competition in our area.

On Pointe did not follow their own written rules and totally disappointed our kids at our last competition with them. They would only talk to the kids/dancers and not to the adults or SO. We have competed with them on several occasions over the past few years and did not have any issues. We have also witnessed other studios walk out during one of their competitions. Will not return any time soon after the horrendous treatment we endured. Very disappointing!

On Pointe did not follow their own written rules and totally disappointed our kids at our last competition with them. They would only talk to the kids/dancers and not to the adults or SO. We have competed with them on several occasions over the past few years and did not have any issues. We have also witnessed other studios walk out during one of their competitions. Will not return any time soon after the horrendous treatment we endured. Very disappointing!

That sucks that you had such a bad experience. What rule did they not follow? We've competed with them for years and have never had a problem.

Convention is harder to pick. Dance is an expensive hobby for my kid. She is not a convention chaser. We went to Art of Movement last month. There was a lot about it that I liked. The classrooms were full but not jam packed. Judging was tough but fair. They promised not to start competition during school hours and they didn't. They also limited competition to end at a decent hour both nights. Classes were an hour and fifteen minutes, more time to learn. The yogance class sounded odd but my kid loved it. My only beef was that they didn't give out a ton of awards like most conventions do. Overall, I like their principles. They claim to be there for every dancer. It seemed like they were. I didn't feel like it was a money grab.

Originally Posted by hsealoverI think. My two favorites so far have been Showstopper and Revolution. The competition is always tough at these two in our area! The comeptitions themselves are usually well run and a good experience as well!

The other thing about Showstoppers is that they have incredibly cheap videos. I think something like 4 dollars a video. You buy a "number" of videos you want to download, and then you just go online and get them. And....the videos are great. No lost videos...no dealing with people who can't figure it out. It's awesome.

Originally Posted by my2miraclesCathy Roe. Cathy herself is at most of the competitions and definitely present at nationals. As a former dancer, she cares about the dancers. Comp was very organized and well run.

We've been here 3 times. There are so many cheaters in our regional that there were less than 12 elite entries of more than 400 acts. This is one I would not care to attend ever again.

Originally Posted by Billpayer2000 We've been here 3 times. There are so many cheaters in our regional that there were less than 12 elite entries of more than 400 acts. This is one I would not care to attend ever again.

Sorry you had a bad experience. I'm not sure why it's a bad comp because people in your area cheat. We had the opposite experience. The studio we were at the last time we went to nationals tried to put one of their elite dancers in novice because her concentration was ballet and it was a jazz dance. Cathy Roe immediately caught it (but I'm sure only because they new this dancer) and made her level up. I'm sure in general it's hard for comps to deal with studios who put their dancers in lower levels. It's a hard thing to prove.

Sorry you had a bad experience. I'm not sure why it's a bad comp because people in your area cheat. We had the opposite experience. The studio we were at the last time we went to nationals tried to put one of their elite dancers in novice because her concentration was ballet and it was a jazz dance. Cathy Roe immediately caught it (but I'm sure only because they new this dancer) and made her level up. I'm sure in general it's hard for comps to deal with studios who put their dancers in lower levels. It's a hard thing to prove.

2 solos, 2 duet trios, 7 or 8 group numbers is NOT an intermediate dancer. That's what I call leveling down and cheating. To be in that many numbers...a dancer is in the studio every day. And it wasn't just one or two dancers. It was several studios who did this. Turns in second, back tucks...saw them in "novice routines." Using under age 7 dancers in the background of senior dancers to compete in the junior division. Saw it all. Every time. When the the employees running a comp are taking kids pictures and hugging them and gushing about the dancers...it doesn't even look proper, let alone impartial. So that comp is so shady it only grows moss.

For me it's all about the level of talent the comp attracts. So I guess it would very much be a regional thing. Hall of Fame can attract strong talent around here, as long as it's not on a BTF or NYCDA weekend. Onstage NY attracts strong studios, so I really enjoy that one. But, typically, I don't really prefer any competitions that aren't attached to conventions. In that respect, NYCDA is hands down the favorite, and then BTF.

Originally Posted by JojosDanceMomFor me it's all about the level of talent the comp attracts. So I guess it would very much be a regional thing. Hall of Fame can attract strong talent around here, as long as it's not on a BTF or NYCDA weekend. Onstage NY attracts strong studios, so I really enjoy that one. But, typically, I don't really prefer any competitions that aren't attached to conventions. In that respect, NYCDA is hands down the favorite, and then BTF.

I absolutely agree with this. When we went to Energy last year it was one of the most boring competitions we've been to. Our next two comps we haven't been to in this area so I'm interested in seeing who will be there.

Originally Posted by JojosDanceMomFor me it's all about the level of talent the comp attracts. So I guess it would very much be a regional thing. Hall of Fame can attract strong talent around here, as long as it's not on a BTF or NYCDA weekend. Onstage NY attracts strong studios, so I really enjoy that one. But, typically, I don't really prefer any competitions that aren't attached to conventions. In that respect, NYCDA is hands down the favorite, and then BTF.

NYCDA was not usually one of our favorites but just because we had some crazy personal karma issues surrounding that comp. Hilarious in hindsight but no so funny when you are going through it. But I am hoping that has started to die down (the sage stick seems to have helped ;-)) because NYCDA is one of the favorites of the studios for sure.

It does seem like when my dd competes independently I get to see more of what the comp is like than when she was with a team. She did Masquerade and Rainbow as an independent, and Starpower, Odyssey, and Legacy with her studio, and the latter three I just showed up and sat in the audience, basically. I didn't have to deal with the staff or be backstage at all. At Starpower there was an issue with dads being in the girls dressing room, but other than that I don't remember much about any of the three studio comps. I do remember having a good time and good experience with Masquerade and Rainbow, and those are my favorites. I was disappointed when Masquerade stopped accepting independents, we haven't been back since.

We're in Canada. My favourite has to be On The Floor. While it tends to be more expensive than other comps, it does offer some added benefits. First of all, they live stream -- we have family that tune in from all over the world to catch my daughter dance. Secondly, the Ultimate Dance Battle -- the two highest scoring numbers from each age group face off and one is crowned the dance battle winner. Tons of fun and excitement -- and a HUGE trophy!

Originally Posted by Billpayer2000 2 solos, 2 duet trios, 7 or 8 group numbers is NOT an intermediate dancer. That's what I call leveling down and cheating. To be in that many numbers...a dancer is in the studio every day. And it wasn't just one or two dancers. It was several studios who did this. Turns in second, back tucks...saw them in "novice routines." Using under age 7 dancers in the background of senior dancers to compete in the junior division. Saw it all. Every time. When the the employees running a comp are taking kids pictures and hugging them and gushing about the dancers...it doesn't even look proper, let alone impartial. So that comp is so shady it only grows moss.

I'm not arguing with your experience. Just saying it's not mine. We'll have to agree to disagree.

Turn it Up! is definitely a fun one. There are some comp award ceremonies where it feels like they are rushing through and I get the cold feeling that it is all just a money making scheme for them. Turn It Up, on the other hand, makes every dancer feel like a winner and the award ceremony is quite festive.

Originally Posted by jemnWe're in Canada. My favourite has to be On The Floor. While it tends to be more expensive than other comps, it does offer some added benefits. First of all, they live stream -- we have family that tune in from all over the world to catch my daughter dance. Secondly, the Ultimate Dance Battle -- the two highest scoring numbers from each age group face off and one is crowned the dance battle winner. Tons of fun and excitement -- and a HUGE trophy!

We did OTF a few years ago and really liked it, although the judges were not necessarily broadly experienced. The vibe of the comp was very good though and it drew great talent. The awards were truly lovely as well. DD still displays her stuff from that comp when most other stuff was put away in a box long ago.

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